Colon’s No Angel in Fantasyland

In my 16 team mixed, head-to-head league, Bartolo Colon has hit the waiver wire. Is it worth dropping one of Dave Bush, Claudio Vargas, Doug Davis or Jake Westbrook to pick him up?

Regards Neil in England, where it’s still monsoon season

Neil,

Bartolo Colon scares me. And it’s not because of his series of injuries over the past year and a half. It’s not even because of his declining strikeout rate. The real reason why merely the sight of Colon’s name causes me to sweat is that you have no clue what to expect from start to start. In 2005, Colon put it all together for a full season, winning 21 games en route to a Cy Young. But since then, he’s been one huge mess. Though you can point to health as a factor in Bartolo’s demise, let’s not forget 2004, when he somehow managed to win 18 despite a 5.01 ERA and a ******** 38 homers allowed. Even this year, Colon began with two dominant outings only to pitch to a near 7 ERA from that point on. The bottom line? Colon’s name far exceeds his fantasy worth. If this were my team, I’d stay away. Owning both Bush and Vargas is important should one eventually lose their rotation spot to Gallardo, while Davis and Westbrook have decent upside. But if you feel like gambling, Davis (1.75 season WHIP) would be the one to drop. Just don’t come back to me asking whether to start or sit Colon for a certain matchup. I can’t help you there!

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